The second stage of starship successfully separated from the first stage!
https://www.youtube.com/live/6na40SqzYnU
Edit: replaced picture with video. Here’s the original screenshot.
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Just saw that live! That 1st stage explosion was sick.
I agree! I can’t wait to hear the cause of RUD though. Was it really FTS or was it damage from the hot staging?
Scott Manley conjectures that the staging itself worked as intended, but the flip maneuver caused too much stress on the internal plumbing (with all the propellant sloshing around), resulting in a ruptured pipe and burning in the base of the booster.
From the SpaceX overlay graphic, it seems like a number of engines went out shortly after the relight for the boostback burn, around T+02:53. Asymmetric thrust and loss of control might have triggered the FTS.
Good catch. I was so focused on Starship and it’s engines. I guess the question now is whether it was because of the engines or or tank pressure?
Indeed!
Here’s a link to the full clip https://nitter.net/SpaceX/status/1725863437887242515#m
Interesting. I’m not sure give many raptors are supposed to relight on the boostback, but it looks like one of the gimbal raptors and several of the inner ring failed to relight for boostback. That would explain the trajectory deviation and FTS activation. Nice to see the improved FTS did its job anyway!
